Grace (The Family Simon 5)

“Matt.”

“Betty, I gotta go. No worries. You’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He pocketed his cell and turned—his intention to head back to the bar, pay his tab, deal with Sasha, and leave.

But that wasn’t happening on account of the dark haired spitfire staring up at him. He watched Grace closely for a few moments, not really knowing how to proceed. That was a new one for Matt. He was used to being in control.

“I was just leaving,” he said eventually, breaking the silence.

Grace took a step forward and thumped him on the chest. “No you’re not.”

A shot of adrenaline rushed through Matt, a spark that set off all sorts of things. Hot things. Needful things. Wrong things to be thinking about.

“I’m not?” He was dancing on the edge again and damn but it felt good.

“No.” Grace took a step back. “We need to talk.”

You need to stay away from her. Betty’s voice echoed in his ear and he winced.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Too bad,” she retorted, pointing to the washrooms. “Let’s go.”

He stared down at her, rubbing the back of his neck and shuffling his feet like a damn schoolboy. Grace Simon was fierce and from the look of her, she wasn’t taking no for an answer. She obviously needed to get something off her chest and after the way he’d just up and left her in Nashville, it was the least he could do. Give her a chance to tell him what he already knew. That he was a no good and all-around asshole.

Maybe then he could stop thinking about her. Maybe then he could get on with his life.

She stepped aside…

And Matt followed her down the hall.

5

Grace’s heart was pounding so hard that she was pretty sure everyone in the bar could hear it. It filled her ears and she exhaled, pushing into the woman’s washroom before she lost her nerve. Thankfully it was unoccupied and when Matt followed her inside, she shoved past him and locked the door.

Resting against the wall she took a few moments to gather her thoughts, but it was so hard to think straight. Matt Hawkins was a big guy and he filled the room. Draped in leather and denim, with a few days’ worth of stubble darkening his jaw, he was a walking advertisement for testosterone.

And Lord but he was beautiful. Not pretty-boy beautiful—but a raw, masculine, and dangerous kind of beautiful. Any woman would look twice. Hell, any woman would want a taste of him. Was it just his looks that got to her? Was this just a physical thing?

She took a moment, thoughts whirling as she attempted to calm herself. But she knew. There was more. There was something in his eyes that pulled at her. Something deep. Something almost…painful. And that made her wonder. It also made her determined.

“So who is she?” Grace asked suddenly. Surprise lit up his eyes and truth be told, she was pretty surprised herself. Her heart and mind were racing but that didn’t matter. She was just going to go with it and screw the consequences.

“Who is…who?” Matt looked confused. Good. She wanted him off kilter.

Grace pushed off from the wall. “The redhead.” A heartbeat passed. “The redhead that you came here with.”

Matt was silent for a few seconds. “Her name is Sasha.”

“Sasha.” The name rolled off her lips. “She your girlfriend?”

Again. Surprise lit up his features. “No. She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Huh. Didn’t think so.”

His eyebrows shot up at that. “Then why ask?”

She ignored his question and fired another one back at him. “When’s the last time you were in a relationship?”

He actually squirmed at the word and Grace pressed on, sensing that she was onto something.